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Wings Over Flanders Fields: Ultimate Edition

OBD Redefines modding by Transcending it

By "CaptSopwith"

Introduction

For the better part of the last
decade, Over Flanders Fields has represented one of only a few First
World War flight simulations. Within a shrinking market for flight
simulations, titles featuring aircraft with eccentric names like
Sopwith, Fokker, and Pfalz represent a niche within a niche. Over
Flanders Fields, or OFF, began as a third-party mod for Microsoft's
Combat Flight Simulator 3. The World War II themed venture was the
last combat sim from Microsoft's studio and it received mixed reviews
from critics and fans alike. While CFS3 received some third-party
support, it was OBD software, and their First World War mod for the
sim, that capitalized on a unique opportunity to build not just a
World War I sim, but the most fully realized and feature complete
recreation of the conflict ever made.

Old Brown Dog Software is the brainchild of Mark "Winding Man"
Andrews, who founded OBD in the early 1990s as a company selling audio
transformers for valve amplifiers. Andrews had been interested in the
First World War for years and discovered the flight sim genre with
classic games like Dawn Patrol. Mark recognized the opportunity that
the CFS3 engine presented and began working on modding the sim for the
First World War. Eventually, he met Mark "Polovski" Rogers and, with
the addition of other team members, the project continued to
expand.

OBD initially released Over Flanders Fields in phases to give
players a sample of the team's capabilities, while also getting a
product out as quickly as possible. The first two phases were free to
the public, with Phase 3 becoming a commercial venture in order to
support the small studio's efforts in expanding the sim. OFF then
moved from phased releases to full-fledged titles - OFF: Between
Heaven and Hell, OFF: Hat in the Ring (a homage to the famous American
94th Pursuit Squadron), and then Wings Over Flanders Fields, the title
change reflected the complete overhaul of the sim. Each successive
release improved upon the game's core dynamics: graphical fidelity,
immersive design, and most importantly, a dynamic campaign that
created a compelling theatre for players to take part in.

Now, OBD's team of designers, developers, and programmers have
reached a benchmark they conceived of years ago, and have marked the
occasion by releasing what they consider the "Ultimate Edition" of
their ultimate First World War flight simulator.

Before I continue, some authorial disclosure: I've been a fan of
First World War flight sims since I discovered Wings of Glory in a
computer magazine over twenty years ago. I've loved the genre ever
since and I've played just about every title released in the last two
and a half decades; from F117A Stealth Fighter, Falcon 4.0, Strike
Fighters, and DCS to World War II sims like European Air War and IL-2
1946.

But I always seem to return to the First World War. In October
1998, I picked up a copy of Red Baron II, and discovered the flight
sim community six months later. Many of the fans who worked on
improving Red Baron 3D moved on to work on OFF. The lineage between
the two sims through their respective communities means that,
essentially, Wings Over Flanders Fields is the spiritual successor to
the classic Red Baron series. With all of that said, I want to take
you through a detailed review of Wings Over Flanders Fields: Ultimate
Edition and highlight the sim's strengths, its weaknesses, and where I
think the sim belongs within the larger legacy of flight
simulations.

Installation and Setup

OBD has moved beyond its modding roots and created a professional
packaging and installation of WOFF:UE. After purchasing the title from
OBD's web site, you can download the game in one file (at the time of
writing, OBD is looking at a DVD option for those who want a hard copy
of the sim and would rather not burn one themselves). Once the package
downloads, simply double-click icon, run the installation file, and
wait. The sim is extensive and it will take some time to finalize its
installation, even on a modern system.

Once the game is installed, be sure to check OBD's web site for
updates to the sim. The team at OBD patch the game regularly and are
quick to respond to any bugs that are reported, often in less than a few
days time. WOFF:UE has implemented copyright protection in the form of
an order number, which you receive with your purchase of the
sim. Simply type it in on the initial running of WOFF:UE and you're
all set. The game does not need an internet connection to
function. Just be sure to store the number in a safe place just in
case. I burned my copy of UE to a DVD and saved the order number as a
text file, there for safekeeping.

From there you are greeted by the main menu, which is as
comprehensive as any sim I've ever seen. The menu screens in WOFF:UE
are a massive step forward from previous iterations of the game, with
beautiful historic photos that are period appropriate and localized to
reflect which side of the war you're fighting on. The options screen
presents an array of settings to tailor the experience to your
tastes. Thankfully, this section has been reorganized and simplified
from its predecessor, which presented a dizzying display of options,
settings, and tick-boxes. The sim is designed from the outset to run
well on its default settings, which gives the player a nice compromise
on graphical fidelity, high frame rates, and cinema-style sound. Every
possible option, from flight modeling and ground fire intensity, to
aerial gunnery accuracy, graphical detail, sound mixing, campaign
settings, weather implementation, and more, are all here and all
customizable.

While WOFF:UE does not come with a fully realized manual - a
reflection of the limited resources the team has to work within - it
does feature a fantastic FAQ which addresses every conceivable issue
that the player might encounter, from installation to initial setup to
customizing graphics, and game controls, and describes the array of
options in the sim. Once you're satisfied with your settings, you can
return to the main menu and create a pilot.

WOFF UE is a stunningly good flight simulator that anyone with an interest in flight sims will enjoy. From training missions in England, to fighting the Red Baron or bombing London in Gothas, its all there.

And by 2017 standards, WOFF UE is drop dead gorgeous. The best, and I mean the best flight sims can't touch what you'll see as you rise off an airfield at sunrise in WOFF UE. I don't know how they did it, but they did it.

I'm afraid that some flight sim reviews are so laudatory that they strike one as little more than attempts to sell product, and that this review seems to fit into that mould. We are told that it will discuss the weaknesses of the simulation, and that is the last we hear of them, because in fact everything is wonderful. Perhaps it is, but I shan't be buying it until I read something with a little more balance.

I'm afraid that some flight sim reviews are so laudatory that they strike one as little more than attempts to sell product, and that this review seems to fit into that mould. We are told that it will discuss the weaknesses of the simulation, and that is the last we hear of them, because in fact everything is wonderful. Perhaps it is, but I shan't be buying it until I read something with a little more balance.

What a shame you didn't get anything out of the review. If you're looking for criticisms (weaknesses) relating to the product, here are two the author mentions in the article:

While WOFF:UE does not come with a fully realized manual

If you are looking to play WOFF:UE online, however, you might be disappointed. OBD has designed a strictly single player offering which includes a feature rich dynamic campaign.

If nothing else, it would be nice to thank the author for taking the time to write the article.

I'm afraid that some flight sim reviews are so laudatory that they strike one as little more than attempts to sell product, and that this review seems to fit into that mould. We are told that it will discuss the weaknesses of the simulation, and that is the last we hear of them, because in fact everything is wonderful. Perhaps it is, but I shan't be buying it until I read something with a little more balance.

Sadly, you'll miss out on the Best WW1 simulator ever (knocks spots off ROF) in my opinion.
The only 'downside' is having to install CFS3 (which we all know was pretty pants).... but it bears no resemblance to CFS3 however